Slavery Essay | Essay

Modern-Day Slavery

Summary: Slavery, especially in Africa, still exists in shocking numbers. Poverty is the main cause of slavery in Africa. Because the people are financially lacking, they are vulnerable to enslavement. Two million of the world's people are enslaved.

Slavery is still existent in many areas of the world, including Africa. Although the slave trade was banned in Africa in the 1880's, forced labor still exists today. Slaves work as servants in Sudan, cane-cutters in Haiti and Pakistan, and children are enslaved in some areas of India. Currently two million people are enslaved all over the world. UNICEF estimates that 200000 children from West and Central Africa are sold into slavery yearly. Most of the children are from Togo and Benin, kidnapped or purchased for $20 to $70, and they are sold into the wealthier countries such as Nigeria for around $350. Koichiro Matsuura, head of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), describes slavery as ."..concealed for many years and...yet to be fully recognized." Kevin Bale, a lecturer at the Roehampton Institute in Surrey, England, estimates that there are more slaves alive today than all the people stolen...